A Moment of Romance
by Aquarius Galuxy
Summary: Rick seems to be getting closer to Mariah than Ray is comfortable with. Will Ray finally admit his feelings when he sees Rick and Mariah together one night? RayMariah


Hello everybody! Here's a Valentine's Day fic, dedicated to the Rei/Mao LJ comm!

Note: If you've missed it, the fifth chapter of Feline Instincts has been posted. Please R and R it! Thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ray, Mariah, Rick, or any part of the Beyblade storyline. **The song Invisible (by Clay Aiken) used to be in this fic, but due to FFN's stupid rules, the song has been taken off. It takes the effect away, doesn't it?If you want a copy of the original songfic, feel free to email me:)**

**A Moment of Romance  
By Aquarius Galuxy**

The night wind was chilly, carrying the faint scent of rain.

Ray took a deep breath and shoved his hands further into his pockets, continuing to walk along the dimly-lit city streets. There were few others out that night. Perhaps the threat of a downpour had kept people out of the way. However, he needed the silence and peace the night provided. It had been too difficult to remain in the room with the other White Tigers, especially _her_.

He had waited until the pink-haired girl wasn't in the common room of the hotel with the rest of them, before slipping out. Her following him was a risk he didn't want to take, if she even bothered to, that is. There was no way he could stay in the same place as her, only to berate himself for not managing to tell her how he felt about her, only to watch her from a distance and wonder if she felt the same way.

It didn't help that they were on the same team… He had caught himself staring at her on many occasions, only to blush and turn away when she noticed. The need for her had only been magnified each time… He saw her everyday, and thoughts of her occupied his mind, even more so than in beyblading.

The attraction towards her had been present for a long time now. There was just something about her that was different from all the other girls. Perhaps it was the way her golden orbs shone when their eyes met, or perhaps it was how she could hold her own in a sport that was originally meant for males. Then… perhaps it was the way she showered him with so much care and concern… He couldn't deny the physical attraction, either…

His breath caught in his throat as her image slipped into his mind. He'd once seen her clad merely in a towel when she forgot to bring fresh clothes with her to the shared bathroom… He had been rather painfully aroused… They'd flushed when their eyes met, and the subsequent dreams he had at night teased his senses, so that the desire for her rose to a level he could barely control. That was a week ago…

Mariah seemed to have had forgotten about that incident over the past few days, although he couldn't be sure. Did she feel the same about him? He could only hope so, considering that she _was_ especially concerned about him… He'd tried to tell her that he loved her, but there was always someone in the way…

-Flashback-

_The White Tigers had stopped for a break from their vigorous training in the BBA facility that they had been allowed to occupy, and Lee, Kevin and Gary had gone to get a drink of water. He was left alone with her…_

_It was quiet, and he held Driger up, fixing his eyes on the blade so that he didn't have to look at her. What was he to say? There was no one around to interrupt, and he could take the chance to tell her that he loved her… His heart thumped with nervousness._

_"Are you tired, Ray?" She walked over to him, causing his heart to quicken when he turned to look at her. Even if he wanted to, his eyes could not shift away from her face as she neared him. For some reason, her cheeks were coloured an attractive shade of pink…_

_"No." He smiled, stepping in her direction. She stopped in front of him. Her lips were slightly parted. 'Pretty' was too childish a word to describe her. She was beyond 'cute'... He was drawn to her… Maybe he could take the chance now… "I want to tell you something, Mariah."_

_He could almost feel the tension that arose from the silence…Her eyes were fixed on him, betraying an emotion that he thought he saw… Did she feel the same way? His heart was beating wildly… How would she react? They were breathing shallowly in anticipation… Little else could happen…_

_"I-"_

_The doorknob was suddenly twisted, and the door swung open to reveal a pale-green-haired teenager. That moment was broken… They looked towards the intruder. Rick stepped into the room, brightening when he saw Mariah._

_"Ah… Mariah – I wished to discuss some… beyblade strategies with you. Could you spare me a moment?"_

_He saw her huff slightly, before replying, "I'll come in a while."_

_The pink-haired girl then turned back to him, asking him softly, "What was it that you wanted to tell me, Ray?"_

_He shook his head and smiled, despite the pang he felt at the interruption. "It isn't much to speak of."_

_She nodded uncertainly, casting a lingering gaze at him, before heading out with Rick. The other teenager stared at him in a guarded fashion, then turned away._

-End flashback-

He couldn't exactly blame Rick for interrupting… The facility was open to anyone, and he had no say as to who could enter. If only he'd managed to tell her… He longed to hold her in his arms as someone more than a friend… His heart warmed at the thought. But people seemed to be keeping them apart.

Lee was always looking warily at him whenever he lost his concentration to stare Mariah. Perhaps he was concerned for the performance of his team, or perhaps the other teenager didn't trust him enough with his sister… Ray sighed softly. Did she feel the same way?

Then, there was the matter of Rick again… That blader was spending quite a lot of time with Mariah, and he felt tinges of jealousy at that. True that he'd spent lengthy hours with the pink-haired girl too, but that was in the company of the other White Tigers, and he wanted to be _alone_ with her… What if she started to like Rick more? He wouldn't be able to stand it if she loved Rick instead…

A slight shudder crept up his spine. Personally, he didn't think much of that stuck-up teenager, but who knew what she could like about him? Ray made a mental note to ask her about the All-Star afterward. He had to tell her before she was lost to the latter…

He really loved her… He'd dreamed of holding her close, dreamed of him telling her he loved her, dreamed of her telling him she loved him, dreamed of her being only in her towel… It was lucky that her towel had not slipped. His cheeks flushed at that thought. There were too many hormones coming into play for him to think clearly. He was tempted to picture her body too…

Ray squeezed his eyes shut temporarily. Was she thinking of him as he was of her? What was she doing? Was she satisfied with it? He'd be glad for her if she was content.

They'd shared a lot together… But those little moments... Were they spent in the name of friendship, or something more? Sometimes, he could almost feel a deeper current between them, but it could be just his imagination. His golden eyes dulled.

She seemed to treat him as a friend. Could she have seen the little gestures, the slight smiles that were directed at her, to show his fondness of her and make her happy? Was there anyone in her heart at that moment? He hoped there was no one else… But if her heart did belong to someone else… He'd have to let her go. His own heart throbbed. He'd do anything for her happiness…

He always did his best for her. The sight of her glowing face was enough to bring light to his life, and he wanted to be more than a friend to her. She meant much more to him than just a close friend… She meant the world to him.

He'd always be there for her.. Did she know that? Did she look further into their friendship to see him waiting for his love? When would he know if his feelings were returned? He wanted to pull her close and catch her scent…

'Mariah…'

Sighing, Ray pushed his hands even further into his pockets and walked on.

* * *

Where was he? Mariah stepped out of the hotel and looked around. He'd left when she went out of the common room for a while. There was no use asking Lee about Ray… She didn't want him to be suspicious of the feelings she had for their raven-haired teammate. Besides, it was probable that he had left to walk along the streets again… There were certain nights when she couldn't stop the urge of seeing him again, and ended up following him around at a distance, just to watch and satisfy the longing for him.

Tingles of excitement crept over her skin as she looked around for any signs of him. The lack of clues dampened her mood slightly, and she walked down a random street in the hope of somehow finding him. Her heart thumped with anticipation.

Where could he be? She was sure that he was somewhere in this place, and she did not mind spending the whole night looking for him, if only to just catch sight of his face. Her heart skipped a beat.

There was only one reason for this. She loved him. She'd loved him as a friend since she was a child, and even deeper when puberty descended upon her, and she'd wondered if he would her body, and if he loved her…

He was always so concerned about her… She loved how he went out of his way to help her, and how he smiled back at her when she grinned. Her heart softened. He always seemed so eager to please her. Could there be anything he was keeping from her? Her spirit swelled with hope. But she could not know for sure if he loved her… Did he? She only knew she did…

An icy breeze blew at her, causing her to shiver slightly. She should have brought a jacket along with her… A warm embrace wouldn't hurt, either, but she only wanted Ray to hold her in that way…

She couldn't tell if she really meant that much to him… Sure, they'd spent a lot of time together, with her and Ray being on the same team and all, but they just weren't close enough… The rest of the White Tigers were always around, too close for her to tell if he liked her better than others. Was her mind playing tricks on her?

Perhaps her ways of showing her love for him were not obvious enough… She'd talked with him, laughed with him, shared her joys and sadness with him, helped him as best as she could… Did he not see the love in her eyes? She dared not reveal too much, for fear of rejection…

Did he think of her? Her heart quickened with hope. But there was also the probability of him not loving her more than a friend… She frowned disappointedly. It would break her heart if he didn't love her the way she did.

But the incident with the bath towel proved him to be very much drawn to her… In actual fact, she hadn't expected anyone to be in the room, but he was there, and he flushed when he saw her merely covered in a towel… If any of the others had been in the room, she would have likely been embarrassed, but with Ray, she had been completely shy… She had kept her face away from him, but it was so obvious that his eyes were on her… Her breaths only returned to normal once she was back in her room.

What did that mean for her? He didn't seem the type that would just be interested in just her body… Did he love her? She could only hope that she was in his heart…

Then there was the thing about _him_ not having much on, since males didn't always have to have a shirt on… It _was_ tempting when she saw him half-naked… To be honest, he seemed to have a nicer body than Lee…

Her heart skipped a beat. This wasn't the time to picture him… She wanted to find him, see him in person…

The wind was getting stronger… She shivered. Where was he?

"Hey, Mariah!" a voice called from behind.

She winced and turned her head, only to see a bulky teenager striding almost too quickly towards her. He had a seemingly friendly smile on her face, one which did not look as if to say that he was leaving quickly. The girl sighed inwardly. This was one person she had no intention of seeing anytime soon.

The pink-haired girl waited impatiently for him to catch up, before walking on. It was difficult to keep the look of disinterest off her face. She wanted to see Ray…

"So… How have you been?" Rick asked casually, looking over at her.

"Fine," she replied curtly. Couldn't he tell that she didn't want to talk to him right now, or at any other time, for that matter? She resented him for breaking the moment when she was anticipating what the raven-haired teenager had to say… Her hopes had been drawn, and all it took was for him to interrupt at that second…

"Have you been blading for long?" he questioned again, uncharacteristically interested in her answers. She shuddered, disliking his attention on her. Was he starting to like her in a different way? He was just a friend to her, nothing more. How she wanted Ray to be with her right now!

The fellow White Tiger had been unusually quiet after that incident, and it was nearly awkward when they were alone together… She'd felt so bad about it… Their friendship had degraded slightly, although they were growing closer again. She was thankful for that. It was depressing to not be able to talk freely to him…

She _had_ considered asking him what he wanted to say, but her courage failed. What if he'd just meant to tell her some other thing that bore no concern to their relationship? It'll hurt her badly to think that her fantasies were all in vain… But she was certain that there was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes…

Her mind finally processed what Rick had said, and she could think of little else to tell him. "Yes…"

The sky was blanketed with dark, ominous clouds. The winds were slowly picking up. Rain was inevitable. She dreaded getting caught in the downpour with him. Couldn't the All-Star just realise it and leave her alone? She didn't need him to walk her back to the hotel. He was apparently blind to those subtle hints, unlike Ray…

Her heart fluttered at the thought of the feline teenager. Ray cared about her, showed her that he was sensitive to her feelings… Then, there was the fact that he had a special charm about him… But it attracted other girls as well… A sudden bout of defensiveness came over her. Of all those who were eyeing him, she was sure that she knew him best, and she didn't just like him for his looks, although he _did_ have a nice physique. Her cheeks coloured slightly, and she turned away from the beyblader next to her, lest he thought she was thinking about him.

Unfortunately for Rick, he possessed no qualities that drew her to him. She was irked by the way he was so conceited, even when she proved herself to be a good blader. Ray, on the other hand, was so patient with her… He even taught her to blade… Her insides warmed. She longed for his love… It was painful to watch as he bladed in fierce battles, to be so concerned and worried for his safety, but not to tell him how afraid she was, and how much she cared for him. She needed his love; she needed him to know that she loved him…

Mariah flinched with Rick took a step closer to her. If he'd paid any attention to her, he hadn't shown any signs of it before. There was only one pair of arms she wanted circling around her waist in intimacy, and they certainly did not belong to Rick. She lowered her eyes to stare at the ground, wondering if Ray had already returned to the hotel. Perhaps he had… and she'd be caught in the rain, with no one she wanted to spend time with. They were nearing a corner of the street…

The girl looked up at that moment, only to see a figure round the corner. Her breath caught in her throat when the person stepped into the light.

'Ray…'

She could feel her heart beat faster when his eyes met with hers. His golden orbs brightened with recognition when he saw her, then dulled when he glanced at Rick. What could he be thinking?

"Mariah, are you free tomorrow?" Rick asked then, turning toward her. She was forced to turn a little and look at him, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ray turn and leave. Her eyes widened in shock and disappointment. He couldn't go!

"No, I'm busy for the rest of this week. Listen, Rick – I have to go. Bye!"

Leaving the stunned beyblader to think about what she just said, Mariah dashed after Ray, hoping that he was still there…

* * *

He hadn't expected to see her here, with Rick… Why was she with the All-Star? Was there anything between them? His chest tightened. He wasn't sure if he would be able to stand it if she really liked Rick… He'd loved her for so long…Her eyes were bright when he last saw her… His heart warmed with emotion. There was little choice but to ask her if Rick meant more to her than he hoped for.

Raindrops were starting to fall here and there, occasionally hitting him. What was he to do now? He didn't want to return to the hotel just yet… He couldn't retrace his steps, either. As much as it hurt him, the teenager didn't want to interrupt anything that was going on between Mariah and Rick. If she was having a nice time, he didn't want to ruin it…

"Ray! Wait up!" He could hear her voice getting louder…

He blinked and paused, turning to face her. His stomach tightened with slight excitement at the sight of her. Why had she come? Didn't she want to talk to Rick?

"Why'd you leave?" she asked when she reached his side. The girl was even more beautiful up front…

"I thought you were having a conversation with Rick…" he started hesitantly. He didn't think she'd end it to come after him… Could this mean more?

They continued to walk, neither having any particular destination, and neither minding the increasingly heavy rain. He could see the gladness in her eyes. Was it caused by him? Whatever it was, he would be happy as long as her spirits were high.

She grinned, causing him to smile too. "It was a one-sided conversation. Rick was doing most of the talking, and I wasn't exactly listening to him…"

His hopes were being raised. Was she thinking of someone other than Rick?

"So…" He wasn't sure how to start… "How are things going between you and Rick?"

Things could go either way from here… He was breathing shallowly. What was she going to say?

Mariah looked away in slight disgust, before casting her sparkling eyes back at him. For some reason, she felt that she had to say this. "We're just friends."

He breathed a sigh of relief and almost hugged her. The joy of her not being attached to Rick boosted his confidence, and he wanted to tell her how much he felt for her… His heart quickened at the thought of being this close to her. If he told her now, how would she react? Would she be happy?

But what if she didn't love him? He was shaken by that prospect…

Mariah looked away from him and to the clouds. The rain was getting heavier, but he didn't seem to mind… Personally, she didn't care much, either. Her clothes were getting wet, and they stuck heavily to her.

Once again, she doubted herself. Did he think of her as anything beyond a friend? He mightn't be that attracted to her… Was he enjoying himself in the heavy rain? She had to be completely soaked by now. She could feel the rivulets of water trickling down her face, over her body… Hopefully, they wouldn't catch colds – she could imagine how Lee would react if she returned to the hotel like that.

The patter of the rain alone was almost bearable as they walked together, rounding corner after corner, until they came upon a water fountain that was lit with colourful beams of light. Streams of water caught the various lights and fell, harmonizing with the rain so that they created a picture of enchantment.

They stopped and admired the fountain, each filled with peace and happiness. There was no one else around – the rain had driven the remaining people away. The pink-haired girl sighed with partial content. It was wonderful to be alone with Ray in the rain, watching a water fountain. It didn't bother her that her hair was plastered onto her skin…

He turned toward her, his breath catching in his throat when he saw the way her clothes clung to her body and highlighted her curves… He wanted her… The intense gaze could not be focused on anything else but her…

"Mariah…"

She faced him in curiosity, her heart thumping…

Before either of them knew it, he'd wrapped his arms around her to pull her close in a hug, causing her to gasp in surprise. Her body felt so warm against his… He couldn't help it… her slight scent was enticing him…

She blinked. Her heart was beating wildly. Was this really happening? What did he mean by the hug? She loved the way he was holding her now…

He shouldn't be doing this… She might not like it… What was he thinking, anyway? That she loved him too? Ray pulled back sharply, flushing and turning away from her.

"I'm sorry…"

She could barely hear his low voice… The sudden cold stunned her. Her heart ached for how pitiful he sounded. She could not – could _never_ – bear to see him sad… The need for his warmth, his closeness, tugged at her. She couldn't let him think that she didn't like him…

"Ray…" He turned to face her. She could see the guilt, the doubt, the _love_ in his eyes… Her heart melted. "You shouldn't feel sorry…"

"Why?" he asked her, confused. He was breathing shallowly in anticipation. Did she like the hug? He did it on impulse, and he might have shocked her… Would it destroy their friendship? He only knew that he loved her…

"Because…" She stepped closer to him. "I love you too, Ray…"

His golden eyes shimmered as he raised a hand to brush the stray strands of hair away from her cheek. She loved him… He smiled in happiness, bringing his face nearer to hers. They were so close… Her golden orbs were locked with his… Tentatively, he slipped an arm around her waist to draw her to him.

Mariah drew her breath in sharply and reached up to his shoulders. What was he going to do now? Their faces were inches apart…

"How'd you know?" he murmured, hesitating for a moment before nuzzling her face. His heart warmed. He had longed to do this… He loved the feel of her in his arms…

"I saw it in your eyes…" She caressed his cheek, gasping slightly when he turned his head and pressed soft kisses on her fingertips. Her cheeks were pink from the proximity to him. The girl shivered as his fingers brushed across her back. She'd never imagined that she could be this close to him… He leaned towards her, so that his lips were against her ear. Her heart thumped. The rainwater sliding down her face could be ignored…

"I love you, Mariah…" he whispered, pulling back to kiss her on the lips. She gasped again and trembled, before returning the kiss. He was so gentle toward her… His lips were soft and loving… She moved closer to him.

The wetness of the rainwater only caused her clothes to adhere to her body, so that her curveswhere more obviously pressed against his form. He quivered slightly, giving her lips a hard tug before breaking away to let her catch her breath.

She gazed into his eyes, breathing deeply. Why did he stop? He grinned reassuringly at her, and she smiled back, lifting her hand to touch his moist lips. Ray smiled down at her, his eyes twinkling. Her golden orbs softened, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, before tiptoeing to kiss him.

He deepened the kiss, so that she melted against him. His heart was racing… Her body reminded him of his dreams... She brushed her chest against his. He shivered again, pulling her closer to him in the embrace.

The falling rain could not keep them apart as they continued to kiss, each unwilling to let go of the other. The time spent in doubt was best kept in their memories, instead of being lived through again…

* * *

There! You like it? So review! I'll be really happy if I can get ten reviews… :) Also, remember to R and R Feline Instincts!

Thank you!


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